HomeAway is the world leader in vacation rentals with over 1 million listings. We offer the largest selection of properties for any travel occasion and every budget. We're committed to helping families and friends find a perfect vacation rental to create unforgettable travel experiences together.

Surrounded by National Forest - Quiet Yet Only 3-Miles to Town

Surrounded by National Forest - Quiet Yet Only 3-Miles to Town

Jane and Steve built this log cabin as a family project doing almost every bit with our bare hands. We love the peace of the great outdoors and the romantic atmosphere of a real log cabin.
We bought some land in a quiet neighborhood hidden in the Lincoln National Forest in Ruidoso, NM. Our friends already had a home in this neighborhood so we knew it was a great spot.
We then traveled to Sacramento California for a Log Home Expo and studied techniques and materials of different log suppliers. After evaluating the value and engineering of many suppliers, we chose Kuhns Bros and flew to Pennsylvania with our oldest son. Here we visited the log mill where the rough materials were kiln dried. At the mill, the log cutting was performed by young Amish, skilled in the art of handcrafting logs. The rough materials were packed onto two trucks heading off to Ruidoso. It was so exciting to be a part of the whole process when the trucks left and later when they arrived at their new home.
Well, five years and who-knows how many weekend trips later, we finally finished building. All the while, our family grew older, and ok, the boys refused to leave El Paso (and their friends) on the weekends anymore. Steve's parents helped with construction and gardening during their annual vacations West.
We are happy to share this experience with other families and hope you will all have a chance to enjoy this peaceful environment.
Keywords: Real Log Cabin opened for rental in 2010

Overview

Cabin, 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths, (Sleeps 9-10)

Jane and Steve built this log cabin as a family project doing almost every bit with our bare hands. We love the peace of the great outdoors and the romantic atmosphere of a real log cabin.

We bought some land in a quiet neighborhood hidden in the Lincoln National Forest in Ruidoso, NM. Our friends already had a home in this neighborhood so we knew it was a great spot.

We then traveled to Sacramento California for a Log Home Expo and studied techniques and materials of different log suppliers. After evaluating the value and engineering of many suppliers, we chose Kuhns Bros and flew to Pennsylvania with our oldest son. Here we visited the log mill where the rough materials were kiln dried. At the mill, the log cutting was performed by young Amish, skilled in the art of handcrafting logs. The rough materials were packed onto two trucks heading off to Ruidoso. It was so exciting to be a part of the whole process when the trucks left and later when they arrived at their new home.

Well, five years and who-knows how many weekend trips later, we finally finished building. All the while, our family grew older, and ok, the boys refused to leave El Paso (and their friends) on the weekends anymore. Steve's parents helped with construction and gardening during their annual vacations West.

We are happy to share this experience with other families and hope you will all have a chance to enjoy this peaceful environment.

About Steve Thomson

Steve is an automotive engineer and Jane is a dental hygienist. Together we ran a Boy Scout troop and got to love the outdoors while our 2 sons made Eagle Scout.

Steve Thomson purchased this cabin in 2010

Why Steve Thomson chose New Mexico

We loved visiting Ruidoso for the peaceful environment, great restaurants and fresh mountain air. We decided to build our own place because it was hard for us to find a real log cabin that we could afford to rent for a weekend AND that was not in a congested area of other cabins.

What makes this cabin unique

This location is so quiet, less than a dozen cars go by in a single day. And still, it is only a 3-mile drive to all the shopping and restaurants that make Ruidoso great!

Really nice and modern cabin

The cabin was fantastic, it had everything we needed. The location of the cabin was great, it wasn't that far from where we needed to be that weekend. Beautiful area, the rooms were comfortable and the loft has plenty of space. There was a total of 8 that stayed in this cabin and we were happy with this choice of cabin.

Submitted: Aug 13, 2017

Stayed: Aug 2017

Source: HomeAway

Owner's Response: We are so happy to hear that you had a nice time with your family. Thank you for taking the time to write us about your experience, hope to see you again soon .
Steve & Jane

Quiet Getaway

Probably one of the quietest places we've ever stayed. Our usual place to go has been the Upper Canyon. It has become very crowded and I'm happy to find a new location. Cabin was very clean and we enjoyed the time we spent there.

Very nice cabin in Ruidoso!

This was a great cabin. It comfortably slept 9 and had all of the amenities. We saw a fox within 15 minutes of arriving, and had regular visits from deer. We really enjoyed the place, which was a short drive to downtown Ruidoso and very close to Ski Apache. We had a great time there and will likely return in the future.